It's Just a Dream
by Cathey Scully
Summary: What if it was all a dream?


Title: It's just a dream  
  
Author: Cathey Scully  
  
Category: MSR, Kidfic, a small lil bit of Humor, But there's Angst in there too.  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Spoilers: Every season is game. But I'm only gonna vaguely mention s8, that way my unspoiled friends can still read. But there is something from Within.  
  
Summary: What if it was all a dream?  
  
Feedback: please, CatheyScully@the-pentagon.com  
  
Notes: This came about from my disgruntled mind after discussing the fact that in my world; Doggett is a moron for saying that Mulder has been lying to Scully. Thanks to Ro and Helena both for betaing, you both are such great friends. Thanks for being there.  
  
Disclaimer: Okay, now I really have nothing wrong with the 8th season, except for the fact that they're making it seem like Mulder meant to run out on Scully and that Scully doesn't give a fuck either way. They're not mine. Don't sue me. Simple as that.  
  
It's just a dream  
  
Dana Scully rolled over in bed. Well, she tried to; her bulging stomach hindered her process a little bit. This pregnancy thing wasn't shaping up to be half as wonderful as everyone blathered on about. She couldn't drink coffee, eat certain foods, or walk correctly. Plus, she had thrown up her insides every morning for the first 4 and a half months of her pregnancy.  
  
The other down side to the whole thing was that her flake of a partner had flown the coop before she could even tell him that they were having a baby. Well, that wasn't quite true. Mulder wasn't a flake and to the best of her knowledge, despite the evidence that her temporary partner John Doggett kept trying to shove down her throat, Mulder hadn't purposely gone to Oregon to be abducted. She knew him too well. Mulder wouldn't desert her, especially not with knowing that they were still trying to have a baby.  
  
Scully closed her eyes in exhaustion. Her right hand crept down to rub the lump of her abdomen. It had been a movement from the child within that had woken her. For a baby that wasn't supposed to be born for another 12 weeks, her son or daughter sure was active.  
  
"Calm down sweetie." Scully cooed. "Mommy's never gonna get to sleep if you don't." The baby kicked at her palm. It was a particularly powerful blow and Scully winced. "Don't you give me that attitude you. You'll be grounded till you're 6 if you do." The baby kicked again and Scully chuckled. She rubbed her belly again. Just then she heard a crash coming from the living room.  
  
Scully frantically threw off the covers and reached for her gun. She found it in the nightstand drawer. Slowly, Scully crept through her darkened bedroom, careful not to bump her abdomen on anything. She slowly pulled her door open to find herself standing directly in front of a very haggard and worn man. One she barely recognized.  
  
"Oh god." Scully murmured. Scully moved to holster her gun, but found no place for it in her long t-shirt she'd started wearing for sleep. "Come here. You look like you're barely standing." The figure moved forward and nearly collapsed into Scully's arms. The only thing that stopped him was he got a glimpse of her belly. Scully noticed his hesitation and slipped her arms around him, leading her visitor to her bed. He sat dutifully and simply stared up at her as she checked him over, searching for anything to indicate that he wasn't who she thought he was. Finally, Scully brushed the man's hair back and kissed his forehead.  
  
"Can you get undressed yourself? Or do you want me to help?" Scully's visitor still said nothing. Scully took that as a no and moved for his shirt. The man's hand shot out to grasp hers.  
  
"No." he croaked. "No. It's okay. Nothing to see there."  
  
"Come on. You smell bad." Scully coaxed. "Is it because of something that was done to you?"  
  
"Just don't Scully please." It was the first time he'd spoken her name.  
  
"Okay. Lie back and rest. I have to make a few calls."  
  
"Okay Scully." Scully brushed his hair back from his face once again. It had grown longer in the time since she'd last seen him. Scully then moved into her living room the survey the damage.  
  
Scully was trying to keep calm. In reality, she was ready to break down and cry. Doggett's words about her partner rang in her ears.  
  
"How far would Mulder go?"  
  
"How far would he go for what?"  
  
"The truth. His truth. Whatever it was he was trying to prove. How bad did he need to prove it?"  
  
"It was his whole life."  
  
Scully sank heavily down onto the couch. It was true. She was only a small part of Mulder's life. She wasn't the big thing that he wanted. She wasn't his truth. He wouldn't want this baby. The only reason why he'd agreed to attempt to have a baby with her was to make her happy, possibly to get her to leave.  
  
No, that couldn't be true. Mulder loved her. He had repeated it numerous times during their lovemaking. He loved her. She repeated over and over. He loved her. Scully's head snapped up at the sound of a board creaking. There stood the man she loved with all her heart, clad in nothing but his boxers.  
  
"Mulder." Scully whispered in awe. His upper body and legs were covered in bruises and scars. His neck and face seemed to be the only things not wounded. Mulder crossed the floor to sit next to her on the couch. One hand came out to brush the tears off of her face.  
  
"Scully, don't cry." Mulder whispered, taking her face between callused hands. "Don't cry for me."  
  
"Mulder." Scully repeated. "How did you get here? Where were you? What did they do to you?" Mulder shook his head.  
  
"Not important. I came back. Isn't that what matters?"  
  
"To me, that's all I could have prayed for. But for the others, they'll want more Mulder."  
  
"Who will?" Mulder murmured, kissing her forehead.  
  
"Skinner. Doggett." Scully answered, leaning up to capture Mulder's lips in a familiar manner.  
  
"Who's Doggett?"  
  
"The man they assigned to the X-files while you were gone." Scully whispered. "He kept trying to convince me that you ran out on me."  
  
"I wouldn't do that."  
  
"I know."  
  
"But you couldn't help but doubt me?"  
  
"I tried so hard not to. But I did. I'm sorry Mulder."  
  
"Shh Scully. I love you, that's all that matters."  
  
"He, he asked me how far you'd go for your truth." Scully took deep labored breaths.  
  
"I'd go to the end of the earth for you Scully. You are my truth, didn't you know?"  
  
"Oh Mulder. I love you too." Scully kissed Mulder again.  
  
"Now, who would this be?" Mulder smiled and kissed Scully's temple as he rubbed his hand over Scully extended belly.  
  
"Mulder, meet your child." Scully covered Mulder's hand on her stomach. "Sweetie, this is your daddy. Say hi to him." The baby waited a few moments, and then kicked its father's palm. Mulder moved his gaze from the roundness of Scully's belly to her face. Scully nearly laughed and cried at the same time at Mulder's incredulous gaze. She settled for the latter as Mulder placed his arms around her.  
  
"Scully, I'm, I don't even know what to say. God Scully, how?" Mulder murmured into her hair.  
  
"You're a very powerful man Mulder." Was all Scully could choke out before she doubled over in pain.  
  
"Scully. Scully what's wrong?" Mulder asked frantically. Scully grunted and felt warm liquid travel down her leg.  
  
"No, it's too soon. This can't be happening." Scully dimly heard Mulder laughing before she slipped from consciousness.  
  
Dana Scully-Mulder bolted awake. Her breath came out in short gasps and she frantically tore at the covers to her bed. She looked down at her stomach. She wasn't pregnant and she wasn't having a miscarriage. Mulder wasn't laughing as she lost her baby, their baby.  
  
Scully felt two warm arms encircle her from behind and lips pressed against her neck. The other occupant of the bed nuzzled her from behind, absentmindedly lifting the sweat dampened hair off of the nape of her neck. She calmed down and found herself being lulled by her husband's gentle heartbeat.  
  
"Scully. What's wrong?"  
  
"Mulder, it was so horrible."  
  
"What was?"  
  
"My nightmare. You'd been taken, I was pregnant, and they assigned me a temporary partner who told me that you had run out on me and that you were dying. And, oh god, I need to throw up..." Scully wrenched herself from Mulder's grip and ran into the bathroom.  
  
When Scully returned to bed, she noticed that Mulder had placed the antacids out for her. He was lying back in bed with their golden retriever against his side. When Mulder noticed her, he shooed China off of the bed. It had been Scully's idea to name her that. China trotted over to Scully and rubbed against her legs like a cat.  
  
"Did you check on the kids too?" Scully reached down to rub her hand over China's fur.  
  
"Yep. Caught Kali up playing with her toys and found Lily and Josh conked out on her floor. Guess what the excuse was?"  
  
"What?" Scully took a swig of the Mylanta. She grabbed the glass of water from the bathroom and washed the stomach soother down. Scully returned to bed and slid under the covers and into Mulder's grasp. China jumped up onto the bed and Scully laughed quietly. She pointed for the dog to get down and the puppy grudgingly obeyed. "Good girl." Scully turned back to Mulder. He was peering sleepily at her.  
  
"Get this, Kali blamed my wonderful dinner that I oh so lovingly made, for my wonderful family for giving her and the others a tummy ache." Scully made a sympathetic face and brushed her lips over Mulder's.  
  
"Sorry, sweetie, I think it gave me the upsets too." Scully kissed Mulder's eyelids. "I'm sorry Mulder, you tried. Maybe the meat was old or something. That would explain why the kids and I are affected."  
  
"What about me then?" Mulder argued. "Why am I not getting ready to puke?"  
  
"Need I remind you of your stomach of steel?"  
  
"Point taken."  
  
"Mulder, when I was a kid, when I'd get an upset stomach, I'd have nightmares. Some of the most horrible nightmares a little kid could have. I think that's what happened here." Mulder ran his hand over Scully's back.  
  
"Would you tell me about your dream?" Scully sighed.  
  
"Okay. Mulder, you were abducted. And the same day that I was told that you were abducted, I found out that I was pregnant."  
  
"Again?" Scully shook her head.  
  
"We weren't married. We didn't have Kali or Lily and Josh. But the FBI started a task force to find you and Kersh had been promoted to deputy director."  
  
"Oh shit."  
  
"And everyone was so desperate to find you. We went to Arizona and encountered your Alien Bounty Hunter, and then they assigned the task force leader to the X-files. He kept trying to convince me that you ran out on the baby and me. Except that Doggett didn't know about my being pregnant, you didn't either. But I didn't seem to care about anything but finding you and then even that stopped mattering. Then you returned and you had been tortured and you were scarred and bruised. After I'd told you about the baby, I started to go into premature labor. Or miscarry or something and you just laughed." Scully felt her breath quicken and her eyes started to water. Mulder quickly kissed Scully's face to get her to focus on him.  
  
"Shh. It's over now Scully. It was just a dream, just a nightmare. You're safe, I'm safe, and the kids are safe. We're all happy." Mulder soothed. After Scully had calmed, she kissed Mulder's forehead and rolled away from him.  
  
"I'm going to go get the kids. I think I want to have them close by for tonight." Scully returned a moment later carrying her youngest child, three year old Joshua, and holding the hand of her oldest child, six year old Kali. Scully placed Josh on Mulder's chest and Kali snuggled up with her father and Scully left the room. When she returned, she was carrying Josh's twin sister Lily. Lily was older than Josh by five minutes. While Lily had been eager to come out and meet the world, Josh had lagged behind his sister. Scully climbed back in bed with her youngest daughter against her chest and Mulder reached up to switch off the light.  
  
The family lay in silence until the slow even breathing of three children resounded throughout the room. Scully shifted to meet her husband's eyes. Mulder looked back at her with love. Scully moved closer to Mulder, mindful of Kali.  
  
"Mulder." Scully whispered.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I love you, but I don't think I'm going to let you cook Mongolian beef anymore." Mulder huffed.  
  
"Fine then Scully. You hear that Joshie, Mommy just banned me from cooking."  
  
"Not all cooking, just Chinese food."  
  
"Leave it to the pros?"  
  
"Yeah." Scully smiled over at Mulder and reached out to touch his face. "It was so lifelike. I could feel you, and smell you and it was you, but it wasn't you."  
  
"It's over now. Close your eyes and forget about it Scully. We have a meeting with Skinner in a few hours."  
  
"What about?" Scully mumbled.  
  
"Your promotion, remember?" Scully's eyes shot open.  
  
"What?!"  
  
The end. Please give me feedback. I'm sick take pity on me.   
CatheyScully@the-pentagon.com  



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